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MY HUSBAND IS COMING TO TAKE ME HOME ON FRIDAY! It’s utterly amazing how this knowledge has both sped up and slowed down time.

Of course, this also means I only have a few days left to take care of NYC business, which I shall complete in time – this I swear!

1. Finishing business for grandma that involves foot traffic she is no longer capable of doing.

2. Bugging the doormen of the building book #3 is set in until someone can answer my questions

3. Setting up the interview with the policewoman who’s said she’s willing to answer my questions about her job (again, for book #3). This is very, very fun.

On that note, fingers crossed that my beloved and I can find gainful employment soon. Gotta love recession. In conclusion, Random Dragon!

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Four year old girl singing “It’s a Hard-Knock Life” at the top of her lungs.

Middle-aged man baying like a scent-hound on the escalator, followed by, “What, am I embarassing you?”

Saxaphone player in the street – very good.

Trumpet player in the street – not so good.

Puddles in the sidewalk due to rain, nearly every one occupied by happy, tiny children with water-proof boots.

The most gorgeous dreadlocks I’ve ever seen. I assure you everyone else who wears dreads is attempting this look.

Awesome words from grandma: “I’m talking corset, I’m not talking girdle.” You preach it, grandma.

Lastly, not seen in NYC, but just nifty:

(In case you can’t view it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

YES. Managed night-time time-lapse photography. No tripod, so it’s not perfect, but STILL!

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Oh my word. Best birthday EVER.

Fit into a dress I haven’t been able to wear in 2 years.

Had fabulous dinner which included the words, “Why is this cooked mammal flesh so appealing to me?”

Neighbors gave me a “Writer’s Blockbuster Kit” which includes fantastic stickers for inspiration, notebooks of all sizes, giant fun pencils, and a shirt (which I am wearing in NYC): “Go Away or I’ll Kill You – In a Book.”

I am exhausted and ridiculously happy, which makes up for having to leave tomorrow. Gonna go take care of grandma, I am, I am.

Hope your day was as good as mine. :D

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

I forgot tomorrow was my birthday. This deserved a video.

http://flic.kr/p/7ePf4w

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Because I just love the eye-candy.

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Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

I’m happy today. No, I don’t have a particular reason – nor do I need one. :)

Are you happy?

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

 
We are so doing a haunted farm tonight. In the meantime, however, have some links because they are intriguing!

Literary agent Nathan Bransford gives the basics on how to get an agent. Need more than the basics? Then read this article with advice from eleven different agents regarding what to do and not to do. I found this particularly informative, especially with the reminder that agents are individuals with individual taste and requirements.

Not quite ready to query? Then take Doyce Testerman’s interesting advice on writing without distractions  (even though he says not to).  He’s talking about Nanowrimo, but this can definitely be applied to anything.

Fair warning: this article is sort of depressing and encouraging at once. It’s depressing because yes, it is that hard to break into the industry right now, but encouraging because it means not every rejection you get means the agent/editor hated your work. It very often is just a question of not knowing how to market it for an enormous profit.

Remember: rejections don’t necessarily mean “you suck.” They do mean “not yet,” and “not yet” just gives you more time to hone your craft.

So what DO these agents do, anyway?  Here’s an article that clarifies. Oh, and agents aren’t the only ones with the power of rejection. Andy Warhol got rejected by the Musuem of Modern Art in NYC, and if that doesn’t make you giggle, then you have no soul.

Also, because I think the comic is funny and the writer has some good points: Letter to Twilight Bashers.

Enough jibber-jabber. Snippet time!

The blood on the threshold was fresh.

It glistened. Drops of it spattered the sides of the doorway as if its owner had shaken like a wet dog, and the long rusty door handles were slick and messy. Was it Caelan bleeding like that, dripping warm life away until he fell?

The doors were old wood, weather-worn and hung with decorative strap hinges that stretched across them like black iron vines. Alex wasn’t sure if he could break them. Instead he banged with his fist, shouting as loudly as he could. “Hey! Open up! Do you hear me? Open the door!”

An unshaven man did, looking highly alarmed. He also looked nearly human, but his eyes gave him away. The irises gleamed gold like an animal’s.

“Who is injured here?” Alex demanded, pointing at the threshold. “Answer me!”

“Aaah!” screamed the man, and slammed the door in his face.

Alex is not having a good day. :D

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

(This is mostly a pep-talk for myself. Feel free to skip it. However, it has pretty photos, so if you want to look at those, I say yay. :D)

See the writing in red up there? It is truth.

Some people have asked me why I’m on Twitter, and  one of the reasons is networking. See, it’s usually hard to connect with other authors because - let’s face it - authors have lives. They are, however, often accessible through Twitter, and they’re usually willing to talk about their writing process.

Know what I’ve learned from them? Writing is hard work.

It requires discipline.

It requires determination, sometimes in the face of very cruel criticism.

It requires reading other people, learning what works and what doesn’t and analyzing why.

It requires teachability – willingness to admit we don’t know what we’re doing, and willingness to learn.

Most of all, however, it requires a word that does not exist: notquittingness. Notquittingness defeats rejection. Notquittingness keeps the writer going and focused, regardless of support. Notquittingness allows the writer to say, “okay, this scene doesn’t work, and I’m going to find out why if it takes the rest of my life.”

Notquittingness is something I have in droves. Maybe it’ll take me more than a decade to get published, a la fabulous author Jay Lake. Maybe it won’t. Either way, I am notquitting all the way to the bookstore. 

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

It’s that time of year! If you want more of these, feel free to visit my Flickr photostream, or just take a peek at these photo collections:
Fall in New Hampshire and Small Local Graveyard

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

I have no glasses, for lo, they have gone in for repair. Squinting is not fun. However, this post comes in four parts for your convenience, and hopefully has at least a smidgen of non-blurry fun.

1. Personal nonsense. ( Snip! )

2. Family stuff. ( Snip! )

3. Book stuff. ( Snip! )

4. Summary and Snippet!

And now, since you’ve been patient (or skipped past all my blabbering, which is perfectly acceptable), I am pleased to give you the query and a snippet for book two.

Summary (Simon Says, Guardian, book two):

The Wild Hunt’s erratic behavior is getting worse, and Owen is trying to bring the mythos together to fight them. Unfortunately, no one takes the Unseelie fey seriously anymore, and he’s being ignored – but not by all. Someone strange has begun to visit the children of the Unseelie fey, promising freedoms that lure them from their beds so they disappear without a trace. Alex, always protective, plans to save them all, but his efforts only seem to hinder the investigation. When his friend Caelan announces he wants to move away, it seems like Alex’s chance for a graceful exit, but Caelan doesn’t want him to come.

Being told he can’t help hurts Alex in a way he barely understands, so when the Tohu suddenly claim to have information about his father, he jumps at the bait. Every choice has consequences, and Alex thinks he’s counted the cost. Unfortunately, he has a lot more to lose than he knows.

Snippet (Simon Says, Guardian, book two):

Rumors fell like snow, splattering thick wet words that stuck to everything and made paths slick. They started small – mumbles in the marketplace, off-handed comments in human coffee-houses – but quickly, they grew, until not even the people who’d been there could quite believe what they’d seen.

“I always said the Tohu were after the Unseelie fey.”

“The Wild Hunt joined them – ”

“Joined them? Nobody joins the Hunt, bone-head.”

Then there was talk of a menagerie of horrors, obscure and obscene creatures Queen Mab had hidden for thousands of years before releasing them on the unsuspecting public.

“Owen Starbird, son of Mab herself. Set a manticore loose in the streets.”

“No, it was a sphinx. Thing pissed all over the palace.”

“Well, I heard it was a kikiyaon. You know, a soul-stealing owl?”

That one generally got a laugh.

The stories of long-dead queens and power grabs and monsters did not compare, however, to the mystery. Whispers said there was a boy involved. A boy with four wings, unknown among the mythos, and possessed of such beauty that no one who saw him could keep their heads clear. They said he was just a child. They said he could distract the hardest soldiers, turn the head of the most sensible patriarch, or steal the heart of anyone young enough to dream.

They also said he had power. Power that made crazy dead Mab take heed. Power that caught the attention of Notte, the Dark Drinker of All Who Live, that caught the attention of the Tohu themselves. Nobody knew what that power might be. It was strange and unfamiliar, even among all the diversity of the mythos.

Rumors fell like snow, thick and wet and splattering. It was only a matter of time before someone got too curious to wait for more.

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Behold the Foldocalypse.

This is the result of me being sick for couple of weeks and sweating through everything I own plus my wonderful husband doing tasks that involved numerous changes of outfits and a tablesaw.

Seriously. A tablesaw. He’s building things.

At any rate, it’s all clean now.  Next, it will be folded, hung, and put away. I have so many socks in my lap that my own feet are ironically hidden.

Next time I get the flu, I am hiring domestic help. :p

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

I’ve realized something, and I think it needs to be shared: stress is stupid.

Let me define the term. Stress is not pressure. We can all be under pressure, which is unpleasant, but survivable. Stress is not tension. There are valid reasons for tension, usually bad, temporary and nearly always external. Stress is internal – and more importantly, has to do with our own personal habits.

To put it simply: when a frightening/upsetting thought crosses your mind, what do you do? When your heart clenches or your stomach churns, how do you handle it? How do you react?

We’ve all developed habits in response to feeling overwhelmed. I have two; one is healthy, one is not. When I feel overwhelmed/scared/unprepared/angry, I look for the source of what’s upsetting me. If I can do anything about it (habit one), I do it. I’ll clean a friend’s house, get the car fixed, bring food to the grieving, research a solution to the legal/culinary/medical trouble and pass the word on. However, if I can’t affect it, I ignore it, which is habit two – and this is the problem. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.

My husband calls this ‘internalizing.’ He’s right. Ignoring the stress simply lets it fester, like a trap-door spider ready to spring up and poison as soon as new stress comes along. Ulcer? Stress. Exhaustion? Stress. Where does the stress come from?

Family.

Finances.

Insurance problems.

Job worries.

A billion things that are out of my control.

Did you catch that? They’re not mine to control. I can’t do anything about them, and so I’ve just tried to ignore them all. As soon as something new comes along (grandma’s deteriorating health, dad’s strokes, other family can’t find a job), BOOM. The trap-door spider jumps up, sinks its fangs in, and poisons me with all the stress I’ve pretended wasn’t there.

Well, I’m not doing that any more. Habit number two is going away.

See, I’ve been watching other truly amazing people like Lilith Saintcrow and Jay Lake go through horrible personal stress – and yet, they don’t hide from it. They don’t pretend it’s not there. They face it, move on, talk about it, use it to spur new creation… and in the process, they encourage other people to move on, too.

I want to be like that when I grow up.

What will I do from now on when stresses come my way? What I should have done in the first place. Face them. Pray about them. Talk about them because keeping quiet doesn’t make them go away. I will never again pretend that they aren’t there.

Stress, you and I are breaking up for good. 

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

This is what happens when I don’t blog for a few days. Words build in my brain like a geyser.

New information on natural gas that might just help to solve the world’s energy crisis (how NIFTY). Also, here is a fantastic post from agent Kate Testerman on the process of writing -> editing -> querying, etc. She thoughtfully includes things that many *ahemahemMEahem* tend not to realize the first time they’re querying – such as (1) researching agents thoroughly beforehand and (2) being willing to put the book down, do something else, and then revise-revise-revise-revise-revise-revise-revise.  Then revise some more.

Kind of a wonky article here, claiming that modern Sci-Fi has turned against heterosexual males. I’m guessing the author failed to consider that until sci-fi is comfortable with women who are NOT sex symbols, then it really hasn’t turned ”feminist. “  Speaking of femininity and manliness, here’s a news item about a rogue insect that took down missile truck. (Snicker. Which I can do, since no one got hurt.) 

Ooh, an interview with P. N. Elrod! I LOVE this woman! She’s written one of the more interesting vampire series out there. She brings this article to mind: how to be a perfect author for your editor. This article is particularly helpful because it’s a preview of what to expect even after getting an agent and a publishing contract.

On to more personal things, my darling husband is still looking for a new job, and we are hoping for one that does NOT involve moving. We really like living in New Hampshire, and really, who wouldn’t?

(Don’t you love the cooler we forgot on the porch? Adds to that HOMEY feeling. ) We really, really want to stay. Iowa’s nice, but NH is home.

In conclusion, with no segue, have a short snippet!

The day Alex turned thirteen, he spent it alone on a street corner, looking for thieves.

The guilty three were no more human than the orange-sodium light above his head, but nobody in Aberdeen could see it. Magic hid their long, thin ears, and their leather coats and steel-toed boots didn’t make them look any older. Apple-cheeked children with attitudes, that’s what they appeared to be.

They weren’t. They were five hundred years old at the youngest, and very capable thieves.

Alex stood in a circle of salt, which had been spread in a wide circumference to ensure he didn’t accidentally cancel out its spell. Humans saw only a lamppost, dull and yellow in its light, but inside that circle of hiding, he could see everything. Every spell, every secret item, every person and thing magic made invisible.

He grinned. This was the fun part. 

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

[Quick edit: This article largely involves books right on that line between MG - middle-grade, 8-12 - and YA, 13-18. Obviously, this doesn't involve books like The Chocolate War or The Babysitters Club, which fall clearly into their own categories.]

The difference between MG and YA isn’t just about word count, although that’s a factor (usually up to 60,000 = MG, 60,000 and higher = YA). It doesn’t just involve marketing, either, though that needs to be considered. In essence, this is what I’ve observed.

The key difference between YA and MG is the perspective of the protagonist.

I’m going to use two very enjoyable series as examples: Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. Both of these series, by the way, are very good reads, and I highly suggest you pick them up, if you haven’t already.

Harry Potter, by J. K. Rowling, involves all kinds of issues from teen’s-first-kiss to enemy-of-the-world.

Vladimir Todd, by Heather Brewer, also involves all kinds of issues from teen’s-first-kiss to enemy-of-the world.

Both involve character deaths.

Both involve happy days and angst for the protag.

Both involve a half-human magical boy trying to simultaneously survive puberty and wildly dangerous enemies.

So why is Vlad (usually) MG and Harry (usually) YA? Because of the scope of the protagonist.

Vlad’s focus is consistently more appropriate for his age. He’s more worried about the upcoming Snow Ball than he is about the vampire stalking him. In fact, he thinks very little about the world outside his personal bubble – which is exactly how a reader in the MG age-group feels. Even when faced with things like death and betrayal, Vlad’s emotional response (as a child’s is wont to be) is why me, rather than what does this mean in the long run.

Granted, Harry does that, too. However, he has moments where his view expands; where he’s actually concerned about lives completely apart from his, and where the things he faces reach way beyond his own life. From book one, in fact, we are aware of Voldemort’s activity far outside Harry’s personal bubble. Yes, Voldemort killed his parents – but he also terrorized the entire wizarding world.

Vlad’s POV is simply struggling to be a normal teenager in spite of what’s coming after him, and so there’s very little indication how D’ablo makes the rest of the vampire world feel. D’ablo only seems to focus on Vladimir, or so we’re led to believe – becuse we almost never see him doing anything else. 

Harry, on the other hand, is not only aware of what’s happening outside his inner circle, but he gets directly involved with it. He reads papers. He scans TV news stations. He asks questions. Voldemort, meanwhile, has a lot on his plate that has nothing to do with Harry Potter. It’s very obvious from the outset that Harry is not his focus, and that makes Voldemort more frightening to Harry, who (sometimes, anyway) is deeply aware of other people’s suffering.

MG: protag’s personal struggle is the focus. Anything that happens is viewed in light of how it affects him/her. 

YA: protag focuses on other people’s struggles as well - whether or not he/she is affected by them.

The difference in the protag’s scope is why these books don’t share space on the same shelves.

Well, that and the last name of the author. ;)

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

I have unfortunately caught my husband’s flu, so this will not be a long post. Needless to say, I will not be carting my sick self to my 95-year-old grandmother’s this weekend. :p

For your brain: nifty Photoshopped things. Some of them are really fun. Also, agent Kate Testerman of KTLiterary is going to be putting up weekly ‘about my query’ posts on her blog. VERY informative. Check them out here.  For that matter, ever wondered just why you need an agent? Nathan Bransford answers the question here.

This is the coolest picture you will see on the internet all day. No, seriously. Look!

I should share more, but I’m quite tired. Instead, you shall have a snippet. :D (From book two, Simon Says.)

( Snippet! )

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Just got back from grandma’s, but I’ll be returning in a few days to move her from her country place to her city place, which promises to be an interesting exercise in patience and creativity. Mom, dad, brother, aunt, husband and I will be taking turns trying to make sure she’s never alone.

Also, my husband’s going to have to have knee surgery. Yipe. Right, on to less worrisome things.

I really love this article:

To sustain a state of high tension and desperation–you know, the kind the whole submission process usually creates–is not only physically exhausting, it’s creatively exhausting. It also makes us less likely to make wise decisions when we’re presented with opportunities. Paychecks aside–and let’s face it, even the best-paid among us would-be publishing/published peeps don’t make THAT much money–I think we survive by letting go of a fear of failure. Our desperation makes us lose sight of what we got into this for–in many cases, to write. Writing is the joy, and if you are joyful you have not failed. We should be happy when good things come about, but not live in fear that they won’t.

Oh, yeah. That’s good stuff.

Other things of interest: Nine Ways to Strengthen the beginning of your story, which I found very encouraging.  Also encouraging, but in a different way: a 360 degree panoramic view of Mt. Everest.  Stunning.

Here’s another terrific article on staying motivated after rejection. Remember that excellent statement: if anyone can talk you out of being a writer, then you’re not a writer. Of course, part of staying motivated is learning to be a great local author (which link involves things you should and should not do to keep your local bookstores as your friends.)

I love, love, love this post: when it’s important to write. Boy, is that the truth.

And, in no particular order: what Disney taught us about writing; a set of questions to ask an agent who’s interested in your work; some of the biggest misunderstandings about the publishing industry; and lessons on self-promotion from an author who did it right.

Lastly, I’ve done a brave thing and posted the first chapter for each book currently in the oven. Feel free to take a look, should the mood strike.

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Behold my 95-year-old grandma posing for her birthday:

This is one awesome lady, folks. You can behold the magnificence here. Or, If that’s not your cup of tea, you can look at some links.

Instead of evicting tenants, land-lord gets a job. Wow. Just wow. More people like that would be great. Speaking of great, ever wonder what goes through an editor’s mind during manuscript preparation? Note how the article emphasizes this is a GOOD editing scenario. Oh, and if you’d like some interesting brain-candy, check out this graphic novel adaption of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, online for free. Nifty!

Got twenty five million dollars to spare? How about a house?

Bizarre shoe. Yes, that’s a shoe. Yes. It really is. Dang, that’s creative. Speaking of creative, here is a very, VERY good article for those of us still in the process: seven things learned from querying.

Check out the plague doctors. Look at those guys! The bird masks! The leather pants! I am seriously working these into my books somehow. I am also working in semi-colons. I like semi-colons. Speaking of which: In defense of the semi-colon. Preach it, sistah.

And now, a snippet from a book about Notte – the first vampire. Feel free to picture this all with an Italian accent. :D

( Snippet from 'Notte.' FYI, this one won't be young adult. )

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.

Heading out to dinner shortly, but first, here are a ton of links, just for fun.

Blind woman sees with tooth implant. Whoa.

What to expect from an agent-author agreement.

Two fantastic posts here: How To Be Professional, and How to Ruin Your Online Reputation. It cannot be emphasized enough that agents these days WILL Google your name. Make sure there’s nothing negative for them to find.

Interesting thoughts on the much-vaunted sales of The Lost Symbol.  That is to say, Kindle vs. Print.

China’s “cancer villages.” Eeeeuuaaaaaaugh.

This is just… weird. Monster washes up on shore.

And last but not least, I managed to take some truly fantastic photos of a dragonfly! Go ahead and click, and view full size. The detail of his (her?) wings amazed me.

Originally published at Ruthanne Reid, Author {Blog}. You can comment here or there.